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PERSONAL NARRATIVES 



OF EVENTS IN THE 



War OF THE Rebellion, 

BEING PAPERS READ BEFORE THE 

RHODE ISLAND SOLDIERS AND SAILORS 
HISTORICAL SOCIETY. 



Third Series -No. 15. 



PKOnDENCE : 
PUBLISHED BY THE SOCIETY. 

1885. 



rROVIDENCE PRESS COMPANY, PRINTERS. 



Gift 
Society 

SEP 30 1M 



EEMINISCENCES OF SEEYICE 



WITH THE 



TWELFTH RHODE ISLAND VOLUNTEERS, 



MEMORIAL OF COL. GEORGE H. BROWNE. 



BY 

PARDON E. TILLINGHAST, 

[Late Quartermaster Sergeant of the Twelfth Bhode Island Volunteers.] 



PROVIDENCE : 

PUBLISHED BY THE SOCIETY. 

1885. 






[Edition limited to two hundred and fifty copies.] 



EEmNISCENCES OF SERVICE 



WITH THE 



TWELFTH RHODE ISLAND VOLUNTEERS. 



The months of July, August, September and 
October of 1862, were stirring times in Rhode 
Island, — and in fact throughout the entire North. 
The vigorous onward movement of our army to- 
wards Richmond, which had been long and fre- 
quently promised, was still deferred. The decisive 
victory won by the Union forces over Lee's army 
at Malvern Hills at great cost, which, in the judg- 
ment of every officer in the Army of the Potomac 
save one, and he the chief, should have been imme- 
diately followed by a determined advance towards 
the rebel stronghold, which was only about a day's 
march distant, was supplemented by the now some- 
what stereotyped order to "fall back," thus pre- 
senting the not altogether inspiring military spec- 



6 SERVICE WITH THE 

tacle of a victorious army running away from its 
defeated and thoroughly demoralized enemy. 

General Pope's campaign in Northern Virginia, 
inaugurated with a great flourish of trumpets, had 
resulted disastrously ; the rebel army was greatly 
encouraged by the inactivity and the vacillating con- 
duct of their opponents, and had commenced a vigor- 
ous aggressive movement. The National capital was 
again in imminent peril, causing a feverish excite- 
ment throughout the country ; Baltimore and Cin- 
cinnati were seriously threatened, and a great crisis 
was evidently at hand. Vigorous measures must be 
adopted at once, or our boasted Republic would 
soon be a thing of the past. 

The President, in view of the great emergency, 
had ordered drafts, amounting in the aggregate to 
six hundred thousand men, one-half thereof for three 
years, and the other half for nine months, the latter 
to be drawn from the enrolled militia ; and the 
utmost activity everywhere prevailed in connection 
with the raising, equipping and forwarding of this 
vast army of recruits. 

Rhode Island was thoroughly alive to the occasion. 



TWELFTH RHODE ISLAND. 7 

determined not to be outdone by any of her sister 
States in meeting this new and pressing demand 
upon her loyalty and her resources ; and meeting it 
too, if possible, without resort to a draft, which, of 
course, was obnoxious to the sentiments of the peo- 
ple. In order to promote enlistments, the stores in 
some places were closed at 3 p. m. each day ; war 
meetings were held every evening, and the greatest 
enthusiasm was manifested. The whole State seemed 
to be one vast recruiting camp, and all the people, 
both male and female, to be engaged in the business. 
For it should ever be remembered, to the praise of 
the women of Rhode Island, that they were fully as 
loyal and as devoted to our country's cause during 
the rebellion, as were the men ; and that in very 
many cases they suffered and sacrificed quite as much 
at home, though in different ways, as did their hus- 
bands and sons and brothers in the field. 

In such a state of public feeling what could I, a 
young unmarried man, do consistent with a fair 
amount of self-respect but enlist ? Evidently noth- 
ing ; and so I left the teacher's desk and enlisted as a 
private in Company C, El venth Rhode Island Vol- 



8 SERVICE WITH THE 

uuteers, under Captain Charles W. Thrasher. I 
was detailed for service in the quartermaster's de- 
partment under Lieutenant John L. Clark, and 
shortly after was transferred with him (I never 
knew why) to the Twelfth, and was appointed by 
Colonel Browne to the office of Quartermaster Ser- 
geant. 

Camp Stevens, in Providence, was a lively place 
during the latter part of September and the first 
part of October, 1862. The Eleventh and Twelfth 
regiments were both encamped there together during 
a part of this time, preparatory to their departure 
for the seat of war. The former left on Monday, 
October sixth, and the latter on Tuesday, October 
twenty-first. 

The Twelfth Regiment was composed mainly of 
good Rhode Island material, and was ofiicered by 
intelligent, patriotic and brave-hearted men. There 
were representatives from nearly all of the ordinary 
walks and callings of life, thus furnishing the com- 
mand with facilities for almost any emergency ; and 
it was proverbial that whatever could be done by 
.anybody could be done by some one in this regi- 



q 

TWELFTH RHODE ISLAND. 

ment. The officers and the privates were well dis- 
posed towards each other; there was a prevalent 
spirit of prompt obedience to orders ; and in general 
a manifest disposition on the part of all to make 
themselves useful and serviceable both to the Gov- 
ernment and to each other. 

A journey of seventy-seven hours from Provi- 
dence, partly by rail, partly by water, and partly on 
foot, brought this newly-formed regiment to Camp 
Chase, which was situated across the Potomac from 
Washington, in the neighborhood of Arlington 
Heio-hts. The work of pitching our tents was at 
once commenced and rapidly pushed forward. But 
before it was completed, a violent storm of wmd and 
rain broke upon us which continued for nearly two 
days without intermissiom. And such a storm ! I 
think I never saw the like before or since. It did 
not simply rain, but it came down in great broad 
sheets of water; it poured; it came in great gusts. 
And then the wind-it whirled, it roared, it got 
upon its giant legs, and fairly howled with rage as 
the weary hours of that first night in camp wore 
away. 



10 SERVICE WITH THE 

And such a sorry sight as that camp presented the 
next morning was not calculated to promote one's 
military enthusiasm, to say the least. Many of the 
tents, all of which had been hastily erected, had 
been blown down during the night, and the drenched 
and shivering inmates were wandering about in 
search of shelter or assistance in ao-ain erectino; their 
uncertain habitations. Baggage and camp equipage 
were scattered in all directions, and confusion held 
high carnival generally. As if this were not enough 
for beginners, we were also treated to our first install- 
ment of Virginia mud, which covered the entire sur- 
face of the ground to a depth of two or three inches. 
No description of this unique article, however, is 
necessary here. It is perhaps needless to say that 
our first impressions of a soldier's life in the " Sunny 
South" were not altogether favorable. 

But this storm, like all others, came to an end, 
and the bright, warm sunshine, together with the 
diligence of many busy hands, soon repaired most 
•of the damage ; so that the regiment was able to 
appear on brigade review in gallant style, on Tues- 
•day, the twenty-eighth of October, the fourth day 



TWELFTH RHODE ISLAND. IT 

after our arrival, before the venerable General Casey,. 
in whose division it had been briaraded. 

One week was the length of our stay at Camp- 
Chase, at the end of which brief period we folded our 
tents and made a "Sabbath day's journey," although: 
somewhat longer than that permitted by the Jewish; 
economy on that sacred day, to Fairfax Seminary.. 
(I may remark in passing that perhaps not the most 
scrupulous regard was had by most of the command- 
ers who conducted the operations of our armies, 
either to the Jewish or Christian economy concern- 
ing the Sabbath day) . This proved to be a charming 
location, indeed. The land was high, overlooking 
the broad Potomac for a long distance ; the city of 
Alexandria, situated two miles to the south, was in 
full view, while in the distance on our left was the 
magnificent dome of the capitol at Washington. The 
land sloped in a broad, undulating sweep towards 
the Potomac in front of us ; the large and dignified 
brick buildings of Fairfax Seminary, then used as a 
hospital, were situated just to the north, in the rear, 
surrounded by a stately grove of trees (which, sad 
to say, speedily succumbed to the soldier's axe) ; 



12 SERVICE WITH THE 

several fine country residences were scattered about 
in the immediate vicinit}^ evidently the recent homes 
of affluence and luxury, but now abandoned to the 
tender mercies of strangers in arms, being used 
mainly by general and field officers, with their staffs, 
for headquarters. And although their owners were 
rebels fighting against the Government, 1 must, 
nevertheless, confess to a strong feeling of sympathy 
which I then had for them, and thousands like them, 
in the untold and untellable distress, privation and 
suffering which they and their families must have 
experienced in being driven as exiles from their 
homes and firesides, their property appropriated to 
the use of their enemies, and what they, in the main, 
honestly considered their inalienable rights, taken 
from them. But such is and will continue to be the 
fate of war. 

Regiments of soldiers were on every side of us. 
A few rods in front was the Fifteenth Connecticut, 
Colonel AVright ; in the rear was the Thirteenth 
New Hampshire, Colonel Stevens ; on the right the 
Twentj^-seventh New Jersey, Colonel Mindil ; and 
on the left a stalwart regiment of " six footers " from 



TWELFTH RHODE ISLAND. 13 

Maine ; while for a mile or more in all directions 
little else was visible but camps of soldiers. Truly 
this was a " tented field." Everything about our 
new camp, which was named Camp Casey, was soon 
put in the best of order, cleanliness and good order 
being prime virtues with Colonel Browne, and always 
being strenuously insisted on. 

Our company was detailed each day at first for 
picket duty on the long line at the front near Cloud's 
Mills, which was about five miles distant ; but sub- 
sequently the entire regiment performed this duty 
for twenty-four hours at a time, alternating Avith the 
other regiments of the brigade. The regiment was 
diligently perfecting itself in the manual of arms, 
and a military air and bearing were everywhere ap- 
parent. We had now commenced soldierino- in oQod 
earnest. My principal duties, under the direction 
of the quartermaster, were to see that the commis- 
sary department was kept constantly supplied with 
everything in the way of subsistence which the army 
regulations allowed. Washington and Alexandria 
were the great reservoirs of these supplies, and to 

2 



14 SERVICE WITH THE 

one or the other of these places I went three or four 
times a week, accompanied by two or more four 
mule teams, with which to haul the stores to camp. 
The great army bakery was in the basement of the 
capitol building, whither we went for our supply 
of bread. And I think I do not exaggerate by say- 
ing that I have seen a line of army wagons half a 
mile or more in length, each awaiting its turn to be 
filled with the nice brown loaves. I need hardly 
say that after leaving the vicinity of Washington we 
bade an enforced good-bye to soft bread. 

On one of my journeys to Alexandria, after get- 
ting my teams loaded with rations, I took a stroll 
about the somewhat antiquated city, visiting places 
of interest, amongst which was the Marshall House, 
where the brave Colonel Ellsworth met his terrible 
fate, and from which house the entire banisters of 
the stairs which he ascended in going to the roof to 
haul down a rebel flag, had been carried away piece- 
meal by visitors, as mementoes of the tragic event. 
Other parts of the building had also been sadly muti- 
lated for the same purpose. But the stars and stripes 
had permanently supplanted the rebel flag hauled 



TWELFTH RHODE ISLAND. 15 

down by the lamented Ellsworth, and were proudly 
floatino' from that now historic buildino-. 

I also visited another place of interest, but with 
what different feelings I will not attempt to relate. 
It was a large block which bore the following promi- 
nent sign: "Peice, Birch & Co., Dealers in 
Slaves." Connected with it was a huge pen to hold 
the slaves, and an auction block from which thou- 
sands doubtless had been bought and sold. But for 
this establishment and what it represented, neither 
the tragic scene at the Marshall House nor the gigan- 
tic military operations then going on from one end 
of the country to the other, would ever have been 
witnessed. 

I was also mail-carrier for the regiment to and 
from the post office in Alexandria, and was always 
cheerfully received on my return with a heavy mail ; 
for amonfyst the chief deliofhts of a soldier was a let- 
ter from home. As there was no salary attached to 
this branch of the mail service I was not accused of 
offensive partisanship, but permitted to hold the office 
to the end of my term of enlistment. 

November 27, 1862, was recognized by us as 



16 SERVICE WITH THE 

Thanksgiving day, although the turkey, without 
which no Yankee can properly observe the day, was 
conspicuous only by its absence. The usual amuse- 
ments of the occasion, however, including a sack race 
between two men, each enveloped in a bed-sack 
drawn up and tied under his chin, were engaged in 
and greatly enjoyed. The governor's proclamation 
Avas read by Chaplain Field, and appropriate religious 
services were conducted by him in front of headquar- 
ters. 

As it had been currently rumored for some time 
that Camp Casey was to be our winter quarters, the 
boys had taken great pains to make their habitations 
as snug and cosy as possible for the rapidly approach- 
ing cold weather. The non-commissioned staflf, of 
which I was a member, appropriated to their use a 
roofless negro hut in the rear of the stately old man- 
sion house which was occupied by the colonel and 
staff for headquarters, and by using the fly of a large 
tent for a roof, and otherwise improving it, we con- 
verted it into very comfortable quarters, anticipating 
quite a jolly time therein during the winter. The 
mess consisted of Sergeant Major Daniel R. Ballou, 



TWELFTH RHODE ISLAND. 17 

subsequently promoted to the oiBce of lieutenant for 
bravery at the battle of Fredericksburg ; Commis- 
sary Sergeant Aniasa F. Eddy ; Quartermaster's 
Clerk Erastus Richardson ; the Quartermaster Ser- 
geant, and William, the colored boy. 

Bat alas for all plans which have no firmer base 
than rumors in the army. For the regiment had no 
more than fully settled down to housekeeping for the 
winter, when, on Sunday, November thirtieth, orders 
were received that Colonel AVrisfht's brigade, of 
which the Twelfth Rhode Island was a part, would 
move to the front the next day at twelve o'clock. 
As to their destination, no one knew save Colonel 
Browne, if indeed he did, and, as a matter of course, 
speculations and conjectures of all sorts were freely 
indulged in. "Shelter tents" were issued at once, 
the men were ordered to provide themselves with 
three days' cooked rations and have everything in 
readiness to move promptly at the appointed time. 
Truly, "there was hurrying to and fro, and gathering 
in hot haste," each one l)usil3^ making ready for his 
unknown journey. There was but very little grum- 
bling about leaving our nicely arranged camp and 



18 SERVICE WITH THE 

beautiful situation, although we had but very recently 
received what seemed to be almost a positive promise 
that these should be our winter quarters. 

The baggage was reduced to the lowest marching 
standard, and the men ordered to take nothing in 
their knapsacks except what they actually needed. 
The consequence was that a large portion of their 
"traps" had to be left behind, and judging from the 
number of officers' trunks which I shipped to Rhode 
Island after the regiment left, I doubt not that more 
dress uniforms adorned the wardrobes at home than 
their owners in the field. Such things look exceed- 
ingly nice on dress parade or review, but they are 
not altogether useful on a forced march or in a fis^ht. 

The hour of departure having arrived, the com- 
panies marched from their several streets, the regi- 
mental line was formed, and all was in readiness for 
a move. I must confess to an almost overwhelminof 
feeling of loneliness as I saw the long soldierly col- 
umn moving ofl', led by the splendid band of the 
Thirteenth New Hampshire, for amongst other things 
I thought it quite probable that before I should again 
see them, their ranks might be thinned by the terrible 



TWELFTH RHODE ISLAND. 19 

shock of battle. And so, alas ! they were. But 
havinof received orders from the colonel to remain in 
charge of the camp, which remained as before, except 
that its occupants were gone, the tents being all left 
standing, I had no alternative but to obey. About 
seventy men were left in the camp, all of whom, 
with the exception of the quartermaster's clerk and 
myself, were on the sick list. Truly this was " a 
sick house with no doctor," for the surgeon and each 
of his assistants had gone forward with the regiment. 
We were cheered, however, just at evening by the 
return of our kind-hearted assistant surgeon. Doctor 
Prosper K. Hutchinson, now long since gone to his 
reward, who was sent back to remain with the sick 
ones until they should be able to join their comrades. 
The clerk and myself now appropriated the colonel's 
somewhat luxurious quarters to our use, and as we 
had plenty of provisions and a good cook, there was 
no occasion for us to complain of our fate. 

The fourth day after the regiment left, winter set 
in in good earnest. Snow fell to the depth of sev- 
eral inches, and the weather was bitterly cold and 
severe. I contrasted my comfortable quarters, as I 



20 SERVICE AVITH THE 

sat by a blazing wood fire at night, with those of my 
comrades huddled in shelter tents and shivering from 
cold, somewhere on their tedious march to the front, 
and heartily pitied, while I could not alleviate, their 
condition. With the aid of some of the convales- 
cents I struck the tents, turned over the camp stores 
and equipage, except a small part which was to go 
forward to the quartermaster's department in Wash- 
ington, settled my accounts with the Government, 
and, through the kindness of the quartermaster of 
the One Hundred and Eleventh New York, who 
loaned me the use of his teams, hauled the balance 
of the l)aggage to Alexandria, placed it on board a 
boat for Acquia Creek, and on the seventeenth of 
December took leave of Camp Casey, and with thir- 
teen men went forward to join my regiment. It was 
found encamped near General Sumner's headquarters 
on the heights opposite Fredericksburg, which place 
I learned it reached after a week's march from Camp 
Casey, travelling upwards of sixty miles — part of 
the time through the mud, and part thereof through 
the snow and over the frozen ground. My friend, 
Captain Lapham, who experienced the hardships of 



TWELFTH KHODE ISLAND. 21 

this never-to-be-forgotten march, has ah-eady yividly 
described it to you in his admirable paper on the 
Twelfth Rhode Island. 

The terrible battle of Fredericksburg had been 
fought three days before my arrival at Falmouth, 
and I knew of it only from others and from the fear- 
ful havoc which it had made in the ranks of my com- 
rades, upwards of one-fifth of the entire regiment 
having been either killed, Avounded, or found missing 
at the close of that sanguinary contest. The part 
taken by the gallant Twelfth has also been graphi- 
cally portrayed in the paper just referred to, by one 
who took an honorable part therein, and it would be 
presumption in me to attempt a word in addition. 

The great Army of the Potomac, now upwards of 
one hundred thousand strong, was stretched along 
the eastern bank of the Rappahannock from Fal- 
mouth southward to, and including, General Frank- 
lin's division, and for miles there was but little space 
between the regimental camps of this mighty host. 
Our picket line was on the left bank of the river, 
while that of the enemy was on the right in plain 
sight, and for the most part the two lines were within 



22 SERVICE WITH THE 

reach of each other's rifles. But there was little 
firing done, it seeming to be tacitly understood that 
their principal business was to mutually watch, in- 
stead of shoot, each other. Anxious to see how 
rebels in arms looked, I rode the length of our picket 
line and inspected them as best I could, from this 
tolerably safe distance, and became satisfied that a 
nearer approach was undesirable. 

Our base of supplies was Acquia Creek, about fif- 
teen miles in our rear, towards Washington, and 
thither I had to frequently go for our subsistence. 
The trains to this place were daily laden with the 
sick and wounded on their way to the great hospitals 
in and around Washington. And some of the sights 
that I saw in connection with the removal of our poor, 
maimed, sick and dying soldiers, shortly after the 
terrible battle, would Ije too painful to relate. I do 
not mean that they were not as well treated and as 
kindly cared for as was practicable under the circum- 
stances, but that from their great numbers, the 
inadequate means for handling them, and the dis- 
tance over which they had to be transported in 
crowded box cars and filthy steamboats before much 



TWELFTH RHODE ISLAND. 23 

could be done for them, it was impossible but that 
their sufferings in many cases should be of the most 
agfofravated character. 

Our situation while in front of Fredericksburg was 
anything but comfortable. The men lived in all 
sorts of rudely constructed cabins, bough-houses and 
even subterranean huts, having no tents save the 
miserable misnamed shelter tents, which were used 
only as roofs for the conglomerate of structures which 
their ingenuity had devised. The fire-places were 
made of logs cemented and plastered with mud, and 
the chimneys mainly with empty barrels set on top 
of each other, (the heads being first knocked out,) 
and they also cemented together and plastered with 
mud. This Virginia mud, when thoroughly dried 
by the fire, is almost as hard as common brick. The 
water which we had to use and drink here was simply 
execrable. I don't think it was so bad as that in the 
Cove Basin, but it had a very similar appearance. 
Each little spring and rivulet were eagerly sought 
and constantly used by continual streams of soldiers, 
necessarily keeping them in a perturbed and more 
or less filthy condition ; and besides, it was impossi- 



24 SERVICE AVITH THE 

ble that some portion of the vast amount of offal 
accumulating from this great army should not find 
its way into these sources of our water supply. This 
was specially so when, as frequently happened, sev- 
eral regiments were encamped on the same little 
stream. Much sickness was caused during our un- 
comfortable stay here by this detestable water. 

On the sixteenth of January, 1863, we received 
marching orders, but were directed to remain in 
camp, simply holding ourselves in readiness to move 
at short notice. The line of march of the right grand 
division commenced on January nineteenth and was 
continued through the twentieth. Regiment after 
regiment, followed by long strings of batteries, con- 
tinued to move directly past our camp all day long, 
going to the right. Another great battle was sup- 
posed to be imminent. But alas for human plans ; 
whether made by great generals or by persons un- 
known to fame, they are exceedingly liable to be 
tjiwarted. On the afternoon of the twentieth a cold 
northeast storm of wind, snow, sleet and rain came 
on and continued with increasing force for more than 
thirty-six hours, which necessarily put an end to the 



TWELFTH RHODE ISLAND. 25 

strategic moveiuent of General Buruside, for the 
roads became utterly impassable for the artillery, 
and practically so for all military purposes. After 
floundering about in the clayey mire for three days, 
the brave fellows came tramping back, weary and 
thoroughly disgusted, and again took up their abode 
in their wretched old quarters. Our gallant General 
Burnside was now relieved of the command of the 
great Army of the Potomac, and General Hooker 
appointed to succeed him. 

On the afternoon of February ninth, we broke 
camp and took the cars for Acquia Creek, en route for 
Fortress Monroe, as was supposed, but really for 
Newport News. There was hilarious rejoicing on 
all hands at the prospect of at last getting away 
from our abominable quarters. The huts Avere set 
on fire ; bonfires were made from the great piles of 
combustible debris which had accumulated during: 
the winter ; the rude barns which had sheltered our 
horses and mules added to the conflagration, and for 
an hour or so before embarkinof we held hioh carni- 
val amidst the smoking ruins of ''Camp Misery." 
At Acquia Creek we went on board the transport 
3 



26 SERVICE WITH THE 

steamers Metaniora and Juniata, and the next morn- 
ing steamed down the broad Potomac. 

The agreeable change of situation, together with 
the pleasant sail, were very invigorating, and the 
men seemed almost to forget that they were soldiers, 
and to imagine themselves on some holiday excur- 
sion. Arriving off Fortress Monroe at four a. m. 
of the second day out, we awaited orders from Gen- 
eral Dix, which being received we proceeded to 
Newport News and disembarked. We had at last 
got beyond Virginia mud, though still in Virginia, 
the soil at this place being light and sandy, and the 
ground for miles almost as level as Dexter Training 
Ground. 

The schooner Elizabeth and Helen from Provi- 
dence, Avhich we had long been expecting, arrived 
about the same time. She brought a little more 
than three hundred boxes from friends at home for 
our regiment, and our portion of the cargo of vege- 
tables was about ninety barrels. So that, altogether, 
we had a " right smart heap " of the good things from 
home. The contents of the boxes being largely of 
a very perishable nature, were considerably dam- 



TWELFTH RHODE ISLAND. 27 

aged OD account of having been so long on the jour- 
ney. But we made the best of it, and enjoyed the 
unpacking of those boxes quite as much, without 
doubt, as our friends at home did the pacliing. 
Nothing could have been more beneficial to us than 
the generous supply of vegetables which we re- 
ceived, having subsisted mainly on salt meats and 
hard-tack while at Fredericksburg. 

"A" tents were here issued to the companies ; 
everj^thing was cheerful and tidy about the camp, 
and we seemed to be living in a new Avorld. My 
duties called me to Fortress Monroe nearly every 
day, which gave me a delightful little sail, together 
with charming scenery and plenty of work. The 
scene of the exciting and unequal contest between the 
Merrimac and the Cumberland, in Hampton Roads 
in March, 1862, was immediately in front of us ; 
and about a mile from the shore, in the direction of 
Norfolk, could be seen a portion of the masts of the 
latter, emerging from the water. 

After a stay of precisely six weeks at Newport 
News, during which time nothing of very great 
importance transpired in the Ninth Army Corps, 



28 SERVICE WITH THE 

all of which were encamped at this delightful place, 
the Second Brigade, of which the Twelfth was a 
part, was ordered to the far-off city of Lexington, 
Kentucky. Our regiment at once embarked on the 
steamer Long Island for Baltimore, whence Ave were 
to go by rail to the West. Some of the scenes on 
board that steamer at night were ludicrous in the ex- 
treme. I have heard of one's "hair standing seven 
ways for Sunday," of things being "at sixes and 
sevens," and " all heads and points," but I must aver 
that the packing of the men on that boat exceeded 
anything I had ever seen in the way of mixing up 
human beings. They bestowed themselves in every 
conceivable position. It was almost an impossibility 
to go three steps without causing some one to cry out, 
"Keep off from me ! " or, " O, my fingers ! " an oath 
generally preceding the expression, just for the 
sake of making it emphatic. The head of a soldier 
might frequently be seen mixed in with the feet of 
two or three of his immediate neighbors. And in 
one case I discovered two men lying directly under 
one of the horses, fast asleep. I soon ascertained, 
however, that they had been iml)ibing too freely of 



TWELFTH RHODE ISLAND. 29 

poor whiskey, and that therefore there was probably 
little immediate danger from their situation. 

A sail of sixteen hours brought us to Baltimore, 
and a ride of three hundred and forty miles over 
the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad took us to Pitts- 
burgh, Pennsylvania, where we arrived at twelve 
o'clock on Saturday night, March twenty-eighth, 
tired and hungry. To our great joy we were imme- 
diately invited into the large and beautifully deco- 
rated hall occupied by the Soldiers' Relief Society, 
where we found a splendid supper awaiting us. 
There were twelve tables, each running the entire 
length of the hall, each arranged to accommodate 
one hundred men, and all richly laden with an 
abundance of delicious food and fruit. Compli- 
ments were few and exceedingly brief, but the rattle 
of crockery and knives and forks was long and con- 
tinuous. The Seventh Rhode Island was in the hall 
at the same time, and you may be assured that 
Little Rhody showed an unbroken front here, as she 
had already done under more trying circumstances 
elsewhere. Suspended from the front of the plat- 
form was the following in large letters : "Pitts- 



30 SERVICE WITH THE 

BURGH Welcomes Her Country's Defenders ;" 
while underneath this was " Roanoke, Newbern, 
Fredericksburg, Burnside, and the Ninth Army 
Corps." 

After the sumptuous repast was ended, Colonel 
Browne stepped upon the platform, and in a few 
appropriate and feeling remarks returned his thanks 
to the citizens of Pittsburgh for their hospitality to 
the soldiers of Rhode Island, and closed by propos- 
ing three cheers for our benefactors, which were given 
with a roar that seemed almost to raise the roof. 
We then marched out to make room for others that 
were waiting, the remainder of our brigade being 
near by. One of the waiters, who, I Avas informed, 
was the daughter of one of the first citizens of the 
city, told me that this hall had not been closed night 
or day for more than a week, and that every soldier 
who had passed through the city for a long time had 
partaken of their bounty if he chose to do so. 
Nearly five thousand had been fed during the past 
twelve hours, and still there was an abundance. 

At ten A. M. we took the cars for Cincinnati, 
which we reached after a pleasant ride of about 



TWELFTH RHODE ISLAND. 31 

four hundred miles throuoh the most delightful sec- 
tion of country we had yet seen. We almost imag- 
ined ourselves making one of " Perham's Grand Ex- 
cursions to the West." EveryAvhere along the route 
we met with tokens *of welcome and encourasement. 
White handkerchiefs fluttered from ten thousand 
fair hands, while the stars and stripes were dis- 
played ''from (;ottage, hall and tower," in great pro- 
fusion. At Steubenville, Ohio, I should judge the 
inhabitants were nearly all at the depot on our arri- 
val, Avhere they greeted us with cheer upon cheer, 
besides innumerable expressions of loyalty and good 
will. Five long trains of cars, containing the five 
regiments of our brigade, kept within a short dis- 
tance of each other during this entire journey, and 
when the forward train stopped, the others would 
come up within a few rods of each other, thus con- 
stituting an almost unbroken train for about two 
miles. The impromptu foraging parties that emerged 
from each of those trains whenever they came to a 
brief halt, it is unnecessary to describe to veterans. 
The brigade received a perfect ovation at Cincin- 
nati. The streets were crowded with the enthusias- 



32 SERVICE WITH THE 

tic populace, many buildings were brilliantly illu-- 
minated, and the entire conduct of the people 
proved most conclusively that the Union sentiment 
here was dominant. While passing along one of 
the streets our regiment was treated to a perfect 
shower of nice white handkerchiefs, which were 
thrown from the windows of a large brick block by 
a company of ladies. Each of these souvenirs was 
delicately perfumed and bore the name of the fair 
donor. We were also treated to another supper 
here, which, had we not fared so very sumptuously 
at Pittsburgh, would have been pronounced the ne 
jjjits ultra of feasts. After eating till we could eat 
no more, a fresh supply was brought on with which 
to till our empty haversacks for the remainder of 
the journey. 

I was busily occupied all night, in company with 
a squad of men, in transferring the baggage across 
the river to Covington in ferry-boats, and loading it 
on board the train which was to convey us to Lex- 
ington, which city we reached the following day, 
having been six days on the journey from Newport 
News. We encamped on the State Fair Grounds, 



TWELFTH RHODE ISLAND. 33 

west of the city, a spacious and charming location, 
adorned with elegant shade trees, and surrounded 
with the stately suburban residences of some of the 
chivalry of Kentucky. You may perhaps infer that 
we were somewhat influenced by our aristocratic 
surroundings when I inform you that while here, 
our fire-wood consisted mainly of black- walnut, the 
ordinary fence-rails in that vicinity being composed 
of that material. 

The Sunday following our arrival here, the regi- 
ment was visited and briefly addressed by the ven- 
erable General Leslie Coombs, of Kentuckey, that 
staunch and life-long enemy of secession, who was 
a friend and old acquaintance of Colonel Browne. 
His tall and manly form, his long, flowing white hair, 
and his stately bearing, together with his stirring 
and patriotic remarks in favor of the preservation of 
the Union and the vigorous prosecution of the war, 
made an impression upon my mind that I shall never 
forget. 

After a week's sojourn here, our brigade turned 
its face southward and commenced what subse- 
quently proved to be a long series of marches back 



34 SERVICE WITH THE 

and forth across the State, protecting exposed points 
and preparing for a probable meeting with the rebels 
either under General Breckenridge or General Mor- 
gan, who were constantly menacing the southern 
borders of the State. And besides, the mountain- 
ous districts thereof were infested with marauding 
bands, mainly under the general direction of Mor- 
gan, who were carrying on a guerilla warfare both 
against the Unionists of the State, who constituted 
a majority of all the people, and also against the 
Union forces stationed there, thus keeping the citi- 
zens in a constant state of anxiety and trepidation. 
The pillaging and murdering of the peaceable and 
inoffensive citizens of that would-be loyal State by 
these organized bands of ruffians, constitute to my 
mind one of the darkest pictures of our civil war. 

Twenty-two miles over a macadamized road, 
through the celebrated " Blue Grass " regjion, brouo'ht 
us to Winchester, a pleasant inland village in Clarke 
county, where we were allowed to remain for the full 
period of eight days. Our next stopping place was 
at Richmond, a very inviting post-village of about 
fifteen hundred inhabitants in Madison county, 



TWELFTH RHODE ISLAND. 35 

twenty miles south of Winchester. This march, 
which occupied two days, took us through some of 
the most picturesque natural scenery to be found in 
the State, including Boonesboro, the scene of Daniel 
Boone's famous exploits with the Indians, at which 
place the entire brigade crossed the Kentucky river 
in a common scow which Avould hold only fifty men 
at a time. This delayed us for at least half a day, so 
that we had a good view of the wild surroundings. 

I must here relate a personal incident. After 
arrivins: at Richmond, I was sent back to Winchester 
to bring forward some stores and supplies which had 
been necessarily left there. Our teams had not 
arrived from Covington, and I was detained for three 
days awaiting their appearance. I was stopping at 
the house of one Mr. Bush, a well-to-do planter, 
whose acquaintance I had made while the regiment 
was encamped there. On the third night of my stay 
with him I was suddenly aroused from a sound sleep 
at one o'clock by two soldiers who had entered my 
room, and who immediately confronted me, one with 
a drawn sword, and the other with a revolver, which 
he held in one hand, and a lighted candle in the 



36 SERVICE WITH THE 

other. They said nothing, except to caution me 
that any attempt to move from my present position 
•would be at the peril of my life. One of them com- 
menced to search my clothes, while the other stood 
guard over me, holding his glistering revolver un- 
comfortably near my head. I thought my hour had 
probably come, taking it for granted that the men 
were rebel soldiers and had taken advantage of my 
isolated situation to first rob and then dispatch me. 
But I finally mustered courage enough to ask them 
their business as politely as I knew how, and was 
promptly informed, greatly to my surprise, that I 
w^as a rebel spy and their prisoner and that they were 
Union soldiers sent there to arrest me. I at once 
felt relieved, knowing that I could readily establish 
my identity, and furthermore that I was tolerably 
safe anyway in the hands of Union soldiers. Mr. 
Bush, who had followed them into the room in his 
night-clothes, immediately assured them that I w^as 
not a rebel spy, or even a rebel, but a member of 
the Twelfth Rhode Island Volunteers, and manifested 
considerable indignation that he should even be sus- 
pected of harboring rebel spies. Some papers and 



TWELFTH RHODE ISLAND. 37 

letters in my pockets supported the testimony of my 
host, and after considerable time spent in examining 
them, my brave ( ?) captors concluded that I was not 
the man they were looking for, and left me with- 
out so much as an apology for their mistake, to pon- 
der upon my deceitful appearance. I learned the 
next day that two rebel spies had in fact been prowl- 
ing about the neighborhood for several days, and 
tliat iho.-e officers (for such they were) had been 
searching for them. 

A week at Richmond, three days at Paint Lick 
Creek, a tributary of the Cumberland, a week at 
Lancaster, and on we go, still southward, till we reach 
Crab Orchard, a Kentucky watering place of con- 
siderable note, where we remained for ten days. It 
was not every brigade that was allowed to spend 
this length of time at a fashionable southern w^ater- 
ing place during the sultry days of June, at the 
expense of the Government. 

Instead of proceedmg still further southward, as 
had been expected, we w^ere here suddenly ordered 
to execute a " right about face," and retrace our steps 
to Nicholasville, a point twelve miles south of Lex- 



38 SERVICE WITH THE 

ington, where it was understood we were to take the 
cars en route for the for-off city of Vicksburg, where 
we were to assist General Grant in the sieoe against 
that rebel stronghold. This was not encouraging 
news to soldiers whose term of enlistment would 
expire in a little more than thirty days. Back we 
went, however, through the dust and heat, making 
the distance in two long days, the boys frequently 
rallying each other on the march with the remarks : 
" It's all in the nine months, boys ; " and, " Why did 
you come for a soldier ? " 

Just as we got in sight of Nicholas ville another 
surprise awaited us. One of the General's aids 
came dashing up to Colonel Browne with orders 
detaching his regiment from the brigade and direct- 
ing him to report to General Carter at Somerset, 
more than seventy miles away, without delay. Half 
of this distance lay directly back over the route we 
had just travelled. This was, indeed, provoking. 
But we were soldiers, and had learned that our first 
and principal duty was prompt and unquestioning 
obedience to orders. So we bade good-bye to the 
other regiments of our brigade by giving three hearty 



TWELFTH RHODE ISLAND. 39 

cheers for each as they marched past us on their long 
journey to the West, and immediately turned our 
faces southward again and started for Somerset. 

It then being nearly sunset, we bivouacked for 
the night as soon as we came to a convenient place, 
and resumed our backward march at daylight the 
next morning. The First Tennessee Battery and a 
regiment of mounted infantry soon joined us, and in 
company with them we reached Somerset, having 
gone by the way of Camp Dick Robinson and Hall's 
Gap, after a four days' march. In six successive 
days we had marched one hundred miles. And what 
was somewhat remarkable, we went into camp at the 
end of this time with not a man left behind. 

After a stay of ten days at Somerset, during which 
time our base of supplies was at Stanford, thirty- 
three miles away, and could only be reached by our 
mule teams, we moved down to the Cumberland 
river, where we encamped on a high and precipitous 
bluff overlookinoj the river and the rusfo-ed moun- 
tainous scenery for a long distance. A brief rest 
and on, on we went again, bivouacking for a night 
on the battle-field of Mill Springs, where General 



40 SERVICE WITH THE 

Zollicoifer met his fate ; climbing the mountains with 
our heavily laden mule teams, building bridges, con- 
structing roads, and making but slow progress over 
the roughest country that I ever saw. Several of 
my teams were capsized and rolled down a steep 
embankment, mules, drivers and all ; others got 
mired in swamps, and it was with the greatest diffi- 
culty that they were ever extricated ; but we pulled 
ourselves along in one way and another over a dis- 
tance of thirty miles of this sort of countr}^ and 
finally reached Jamestown (popularly known as 
" Jimtown"), on the southern border of Kefttucky, 
on the twenty-third day of June, which place proved 
to be the end of our journey southward. 

The Thirty-second Kentucky infantry, called the 
"thirty two-sters," Colonel Wolford's famous cavalry 
regiment, six hundred strong, — the most dare-devil 
set of fellows, probably, in the Union service, — 
together with two mounted regiments of infantry, 
here reported to Colonel Browne and were tempo- 
rarily placed under his command, and everything 
made ready for a brush with the rebels, which was 
daily expected. General Morgan being reported just 



TWELFTH RHODE ISLAND. 41 

in front of us with a large force. On the twenty- 
ninth of June our pickets were suddenly attacked 
and driven in by the enemy, causing the greatest 
excitement in camp. The long roll was instantly 
sounded ; the men rushed to their companies with 
all possible speed ; the regiment was formed in line 
of battle at a double-quick by Lieutenant Colonel 
Shaw, and all was ready for the fray. Company A, 
Captain Alexander, and Company C, Captain Allen, 
had been previously stationed about half a mile in 
front, on a road leading south towards the Cumber- 
land river, where they had felled trees and erected a 
sort of rude barricade called Fort Alexander, in 
honor of the captain in command, which position they 
continued to hold. 

The battery took a position on the Columbus road, 
on which the enemy was approaching ; the other 
regiments were just in the rear, while ^yolford's 
cavalry went forward on a keen run, their famous 
commander being at least a hundred yards in front 
of his men when he passed our regiment, presenting, 
in connection with his headlong followers, a scene of 
the wildest excitement. He speedily came in con- 



42 SERVICE WITH THE 

tact with the enemy, — whose particular object at 
this time was the capture of our battery, — drove 
them back without bringing on a general engagement, 
captured a score or more of prisoners, and so thor- 
oughly routed and scattered the enemy by his bold 
and vigorous dash, that they made no further attempt 
to dispute the possession of this antiquated town 
with our forces until the morning of the fourth of 
July following. 

Our quartermaster's train, however, was attacked 
two days later, on its way from Green river, whither 
it had been for supplies, by a guerrilla band of about 
fifty men ; but as the train was guarded by a com- 
pany of mounted infantry from the Seventh Ohio, 
the attack was repulsed after a vigorous contest, 
with some loss on both sides, and our provisions and 
quartermaster arrived in camp unharmed the next 
day, to the great joy of the regiment, who were 
nearly out of supplies. 

On the third of July a battle was fought near 
Lebanon, which was a short distance to the north of 
us, between a portion of General Carter's forces and 



TWELFTH KHODE ISLAND. 43 

those under General Morgan, in which quite a num- 
ber were killed and several wounded. 

We commenced the celebration of the glorious 
Fourth by forming in line of battle with alacrity at 
half-past three a. m., our pickets having been again 
driven in, and the rebels seeming determined to have 
a bout with us before we left Kentucky. And I 
think our men would as soon have fought as not on 
this occasion, being tired of the constant annoyance, 
and ready to prove to Kentucky bushwhackers what 
kind of stuff they were made of. But, fortunately 
for both sides doubtless, the rebels remained outside 
of " Jimtown," and our forces remained inside, rest- 
ing on their arms all day, and momentarily expect- 
ing an attack, which, however, was not made. And 
on the fifth of July, General Carter, deciding doubt- 
less that this part of the State was not worth fight- 
ing for any longer, abandoned it to the enemy and 
moved his forces northward ; first to Somerset, and 
then to Stanford, our base of supplies, which he con- 
tinued to hold. Somerset was again reached after 
three days of the most difficult marching we had ever 
experienced, a heavy rain storm being in progress 



44 SERVICE WITH THE 

most of the time, rendering the movement of the 
artillery and heavy-laden army wagons well nigh 
impossible. With ten mules on one team, and two 
industrious swearers to drive them, I was only able 
to make a distance of two rods through the mire in 
the space of one whole hour, on one occasion during 
the first day of this march, which, by the way, was 
on Sunday. 

Of course the army could move no faster than the 
wagon train on this march , as the rebels were imme- 
diately in our rear, ready to pounce upon us if a good 
opportunity was offered. 

Eight days of continuous marching, most of the 
time over the same route we had travelled twice, and 
some of it three times before, and we were again at 
Nicholasville, where our regiment took the cars for 
Cincinnati by the way of Lexington. Our term of 
service had expired, but at the request of our greatly 
beloved General Burnside, we remained at Cincin- 
nati for a week to assist in protecting that much 
frightened city from the raids of the somewhat 
ubiquitous General Morgan, who had preceded us 
from "Jimtown" to that more populous and inviting 



TWELFTH RHODE ISLAND. 45 

community. Another journey of a thousand miles 
— not, however, on foot — and the Twelfth Kegi- 
ment was ag-ain at home. 



MEMORIAL OF GEORGE H. BROWNE, 

[Late Colonel of the Twelfth Regiment.] 

Colonel George H. Browne departed this life at 
Providence on the twenty-seventh day of September, 
A. D. 1885, in the sixty-eighth year of his age, sin- 
cerely lamented by all who knew him. He was a 
Ehode Islander by birth and education ; thoroughly 
imbued with the history and traditions of the State, 
and always identified himself with its best interests. 
Conservative, candid and outspoken, and an excel- 
lent judge of human nature, he was not easily de- 
ceived or led to do an unwise or even an injudicious 
act. To say that he was a wise, prudent and thor- 
oughly conscientious man, is but to voice the com- 
mon sentiment of all those who knew him. 

Since September of 1862, I have known Colonel 



46. SERVICE WITH THE 

Browne well, and been honored by his constant 
friendship. During the period of his service in the 
army, my duties brought me in ahuost daily contact 
with him ; I was one of his mess during our Ken- 
tucky campaign, and had the opportunity to study 
his character and habits Avith deliberation ; while 
since the war I have known him in the walks of 
private, professional and political life. And for 
stalwart manliness, transparent honesty and true 
nobility of character, I can unhesitatingly say that I 
have not known his superior. 

As the commanding officer of the Twelfth Regi- 
ment, he at once inspired both the confidence and 
love of his men. His utmost energies were contin- 
ually put forth for the efficiency and usefulness of 
his command, while his efforts for the personal wel- 
fare of each individual member thereof were prover- 
bial. Indeed, in the latter respect he seemed more 
like a kind father watching over the welfare of his 
children, than a cold military commander issuing the 
stern edicts of war. It was his daily habit to go 
about the camp and personally inspect the same, 
frequently making his appearance in the tents and 



TWELFTH RHODE ISLAND. 47 

huts of the privates as well as in the quarters of the 
officers, for the purpose of ascertaining their condi- 
tion as to cleanliness and comfort ; inquiring after 
the wants of the men ; visiting the hospital and 
speaking words of hope and good cheer to those who 
were sick, and in many other ways seeking to minis- 
ter to the welfare of his command. A single instance 
of his unselfish devotion to the good of his men 
illustrates this characteristic. 

On Sunday, May 3, 1863, his regiment marched 
from Richmond, Kentucky, to Paint Lick Creek, a 
distance of twelve miles, through a drenchinof rain. 
Many of the men had become foot-sore or otherwise 
disabled by reason of the great amount of marching 
they had recently done, and some of these became 
unable to complete the journey ; whereupon, Colonel 
Browne, Lieutenant Colonel Shaw, and other field 
officers, gave up their horses to the use of these dis- 
abled ones, and themselves tramped with the men 
through the mud and rain for a good part of this 
distance. 

Colonel Browne was a brave man. He faced the 
guns of the enemy at Fredericksburg where the 



48 SERVICE WITH THE 

battle waxed hottest, with as much apparent coolness 
as though simply facing his regiment on dress parade. 
A ball pierced his mantle ; " the noise of battle 
hurtled in the air," and death-dealing missiles were 
flying thick about him, but he neither wavered nor 
blanched. Wherever his regiment was ordered to 
go, thither he promptly went in front of it, inspiring 
his followers with courage both by his genuine hero- 
ism and his manly words of cheer. 

His bravery, however, was not of the ostentatious 
or noisy sort. It was more like the current of a still 
but deep-flowing river, which moves calmly but 
steadily onward, irresistibly drawing to itself, and 
unconsciously controlling all the lesser streams about 
it. He never paraded his virtues before his fellow- 
men, or posed as a hero or statesman for public 
applause. Indeed, he utterly scorned all attempts 
made by others for the sake of notoriety and position 
as vulgar and unworthy. He admired, however, 
and honestly won, the fame which follows generous 
and noble deeds, and not that which is sought after 
by the demagogue and the charlatan. He was nota- 
bly considerate and courteous in his treatment of 



TWELFTH miODE ISLAND. 49 

his sul>oi\linates in office, never seeming to com- 
mand, while in fact exercising the most perfect 
control. 

Colonel Browne retained an abiding interest in the 
men of his regiment to the day of his death. His 
greetings to them on the street, in the marts of 
trade, and especially at their annual rciniions, were 
always warm and hearty. A single incident will 
serve to illustrate his interest in their welfare. 
Meeting me one day last Avinter on Westminster 
street, he said : "Judge, I've got some good iieivs; to 
tell you" and invited me to step into a bookstore 
which he was then passing while he should reveal it. 

"Do you remember Sergeant , of Company 

?" said he, his face all aglow with that expres- 
sion of happiness which was peculiar to him. "Yes, 
Colonel, I do ; what about him?" "Why, he's been 
out West, and by diligence and skill in a profitalde 
business which he there engaged in, first as clerk 
and subsequently as one of the firm, and now as the 
manager thereof, has actually made his fortune, and 
is to-day a rich and highly respected man. And he 
came to see me the other day and told me all al^out 

5 



50 SERVICE WITH THE 

it." And then with much enthusiasm and honest 
pride in his manner, said: ^' Isn't that good neivs 
from one of our hoys?'' Had this sergeant ]>een his 
own son, he could hardly have manifested more joy 
in his prosperity. 

His private benefactions to several of his men who 
had louff been in indigent circumstances, are known 
and remembered by Him who said : " Inasmuch as 
ye have done it unto one of the least of these my 
brethren, ye have done it unto me." 

There was no circumlocution or ambiguity in Col- 
onel Browne's methods. Whatever he had to do, he 
went about in a direct and Inisiness-like way, and 
prosecuted it to completion in the same straightfor- 
ward manner. He had none of the arts or tricks of 
the demagogue, and was utterly incapal)le of double- 
dealing or hypocrisy. And no man whom I have 
ever known, more thoroughly detested these base 
qualities in others. He had no patience with shams 
or subterfuges of an}-^ sort whatsoever, and did not 
hesitate to frown upon them with indignation when- 
ever and wherever they appeared. If diplomacy 
has been correctly defined as being the art of con- 



TAVELFTH RHODE ISLAND. 51 

cealing one's thoughts in his hmguage, he never 
would have made a successful diplomat ; for he 
always said just what he meant, and always meant 
just what he said. 

Colonel Browne's abilities, iDoth natural and ac- 
quired, w^ere of a high order. He had a l)road, vig- 
orous and well-balanced mind, which had l)een thor- 
oughly trained and disciplined to habits of logical 
and exact reasoning, and a power of analysis which 
led him to correct conclusions with almost mathe- 
matical certainty. He was not a superficial thinker, 
l)ut always insisted on laying bare the very roots of 
the matter under consideration, and then gradually 
working upwards to natural and legitimate conclu- 
sions. His processes of reasoning were inductive 
rather than dogmatic. With such a mind, so con- 
stituted and developed, he was eminently fitted for 
positions of trust and responsibility, whether private 
or public, which fact the citizens 1)oth of his native 
town and State were not slow to learn and appre- 
ciate. 

As a legislator he was diligent, prudent and con- 
servative, possessing the courage of his convictions, 



52 SERVICE WITH THE 

always exerting a large and salutary influence by his 
candor, integrity and good judgment, and readily 
won the confidence and esteem of his associates. 
Public office was with him a pul)lic trust, to be 
administered with strictest fidelity and care. 

In his chosen profession, in which the strength of 
his vigorous manhood was spent, he attained emi- 
nence and preferment, being a recognized leader of 
the bar of this State for many years before his death. 
A safe and able counsellor, an ingenuous and con- 
vincing advocate and an honorable opponent, he 
brought to the practice of his profession those quali- 
ties which insure success. Quibbles and quirks and 
barren technicalities were an abomination to him as 
a foundation upon which to base an action or a 
defense. Like Solon, "who built his commonweal 
on equity's wide base," so he built his legal structures 
on the broad principles of justice, truth and right. 

In 1874 he was elected to the high and honorable 
office of Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of this 
State by a legislature composed mainly of his poli- 
tical opponents, a monumental tribute to his integ- 
rity, learning and ability. He declined the office, 



TWELFTH RHODE ISLAND. 53 

however, and remained in the profession which he 
had dignified and honored to the day of his death. 

As a private citizen he was a man of unimpeach- 
able character, generous impulses, and high and 
noble purposes. His life Avas pure and unostenta- 
tious, and his manner frank and undisguised. Let 
us ever cherish his memory, and strive to emulate 
his virtues. 



LIBRftRY OF CONGRESS 

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